Abstract
This study explores the adoption of Multiple Renewable Energy Sources (MRES) within South
African private hospitals in response to the country’s persistent energy challenges and the
healthcare sector’s sustainability imperatives. The aim is to understand the barriers, enablers,
and strategic responses influencing MRES implementation in large urban healthcare settings.
The study is conducted within a major private hospital group in Gauteng Province, South
Africa. Guided by an interpretivist paradigm and a qualitative, exploratory design, data were
collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with eight sustainability and facilities
management professionals and were analysed thematically using ATLAS.ti software. The
results reveal that MRES adoption is driven by operational resilience, cost efficiency, and
environmental stewardship but hindered by high capital costs, regulatory inconsistencies,
technical integration challenges, and limited institutional capacity. Enabling factors include
supportive policy frameworks, innovative financing models, and organisational commitment
to sustainability. The study concludes that MRES integration in private hospitals is both a
strategic and ethical imperative requiring multi-dimensional interventions. It contributes to
theory and practice by developing an integrated framework that links the technical,
institutional, financial, and policy dimensions to accelerate sustainable energy transitions in the
South African healthcare sector.